Flack's Top 5 Karate Games from the 80's

[Flack]

Flack's Top 5 Karate Games from the 80's



Rank: #5
Game: Kung-Fu Master / Data East (1984)
System: Arcade / Commodore 64
Game summary: Thomas' girlfriend Sylvia has been kidnapped by Mr. X. To rescue her, you'll have to fight you way through all five levels of the Devil's Temple.
My Notes: I first saw this game at the local skating rink, Yukon On Wheels. As a kid I really enjoyed Bruce Lee's movie "Game of Death" (in which he has to fight his way through a five-level pagoda), so Kung-Fu Master always reminded me of that. Kung-Fu Master has few attacks (low kick/high kick/jump kick, low punch/high punch) and his method of shaking off adversaries (by wiggling the joystick) isn't too pretty, but it's still a fun game. For as seemingly simple as it is, it's still pretty difficult to beat (especially the bosses at the end of each level).



Rank: #4
Game: Karateka / Broderbund (1985)
System: Apple II / Commodore 64
Game summary: The evil warlord Akuma has kidnapped your bride-to-be, Princess Mariko. To rescue her you'll need to dispose of many palace guards, evade various traps, and eventually face Akuma himself.
My Notes: The first time I saw Karateka on my Apple II, I was convinced that the game was created with some sort of motion capture software -- the animation looks that good. Karateka's another game that doesn't have a deep fighting system (low/high kicks and punches) so while there's not much depth to the fighting portion, the game in itself is beautiful. Programmed by Jordan Mechner (who would go on to also do Prince of Persia), Karateka featured an entire storyline including cut scenes and everything. Due to the cut scenes the game runs a bit slow, but it's still an awesome game that everyone should check out. It was ported to many different systems, including the NES, the Gameboy, the PC, and even the Atari 7800.



Rank: #3
Game: Bruce Lee / Datasoft (1984)
System: Commodore 64
Game summary: Help Bruce Lee fight his way through several levels of lanterns while battling a ninja and a sumo wrestler.
My Notes: Super Mario Bros. may have popularized the platform genre, but it certainly wasn't the first. Bruce Lee was a popular platformer filled with action, puzzles and fighting. Many of the puzzles took both thinking (to figure out how to get around them) and then the dexterity of the joystick to be able to pull it off. I first played this game on a Commodore 64 but it's available for many platforms. One guy even re-wrote it in BlitzBasic for modern PC's and released it for free: Check it out!



Rank: #2
Game: Yie Ar Kung-Fu / Konami (1985)
System: Arcade / Commodore 64
Game summary: You, as Oolong the Kung-Fu warrior, must fight your way through 11 different enemies.
My Notes: I first played Yie Ar Kung-Fu at the bowling alley, although I got it for the Commodore 64 roughly around the same time. Yie Ar introduced a few more moves than some of the previous games, but the best thing about it was the game's fast action. Each enemy brings a different weapon (from swords to nunchucks to Chinese stars) to the fight, so each one takes a different strategy to defeat. Limited to one player, Yie Ar Kung-Fu is one of my favorite karate games of all time. In fact, it's #2. Those wanting to check out the game today can either do so through emulation or by picking up Konami Arcade Classics for the original Playstation or the Gameboy Advanced. Whatever you do, don't pick up the all-in-one Konami joystick.



Rank: #1
Game: Karate Champ / Data East (1984)
System: Arcade
Game summary: Begin. (Kick). Full point. Winner.
My Notes: Karate Champ was the first one-on-one fighting game -- talk about creating a genre! And while its gameplay is one of the most influential of all time, its control system was one of the strangest. Each player used two joysticks to control their character's attacks. It was awkward (at best), but provided a large amount of moves for players to choose from. Due to the controls, the best way to play Karate Champ is on an original arcade cabinet. Assuming you don't have one (or, you know, can't make it over to my house), you can play the game in MAME and use two joysticks (or two areas of the keyboard). Karate Champ was ported to the NES, C64, Apple II and Amiga, but all of them lost something when changed to single joystick control.

Care to debate? Disagree? Want to add some to the list? Bring it on, Danialsan!

[calthaer]

I opened this thread with the sole purpose of confirming that Karateka was on this list. That game was completely awesome - a true one-on-one fighting game before the genre even really existed. Tough, though, if I remember correctly. Very cinematic, dramatic, and a lot of fun to play.

[Night Driver]

Nice picks! I have many memories of playing them all. I might change the order, but I think I agree that these picks represent the best 5 karate games of the 80's.

[Neil Koch]

One of my first big gaming memories was getting to the end of Kareteka and then having the princess kick me in the nuts and kill me because I was still in the fighting stance. One of the best games overall form that period IMO - the graphics (especially the animation) were light-years ahead of most everything else at the time.

I don't know exactly what your definition of a "karate" game is, but I would also have games like Renegade, Tiger Road, The Legend of Kage and Double Dragon on there...

[cityside75]

Yeah Karateka was cool. I still remember my best friend telling me all about watching someone play the game in the computer lab at our school. I couldn't believe all the cool stuff he was telling me, and I assumed he was exaggerating. It sounded more like a movie than the Intellivision games we had at the time.

A couple of funny memories - I used to get a kick out of watching the whole opening cinematic and credits, as all the tension was building for the hero to rescue the princess from the evil Akuma, finally our hero gets to the top of the mountain to great fanfare, takes one step back, falls off the cliff - THE END.

I also thought it was funny that if you beat the game and approached Mariko in your fighting stance, she'd give you a kick to the jaw with her high heels - THE END.

edit - Neil you beat me to the punch (or kick)!

[dcescott]

I did not get Karateka. My first time playing it was on a 7800. The controls were strange and difficult but my friends who own ataris LOVE the game.
I grew up on Karate Champ and Kung Fu Master in the arcades and 7-11 down the street.

[KingCobra]

Never got to play Karateka :/

But Karate Champ and Kung-Fu Master sure got alot paper-route money! I took a few beatings from MOM for it too. Got paid once a month and drop'd the whole thing in a day.

Good times

[le geek]

What? No IK+?


Cheers,
Ben

[ClubNinja]

What? No IK+?


Cheers,
Ben

I was so just about to post this. I think this list needs to be Top 6, just so we can include IK+ and make it complete. The existing five are all excellent.

[syd]

I used to play karateka on a 31 in 1 cart I had for the nes back in the day. I never did finish that thing, but I did get pretty far. Great game!

BTW, technically it's a kung fu game and not a karate game, but I think Kung Fu for the nes is a pretty good game too! Definitely worth noting.

[Pantechnicon]

I'm generally not a fan of fighters but me luvs me some Karate Champ. I have many fond memories of ditching class with my friends in 9th grade (1984-1985) and pumping quarter after quarter into the Karate Champ machine at the nearby Godfathers Pizza. Good times, albeit not productive ones. Karate Champ was one of the first roms I started hunting down after discovering MAME. It's on my MAME cab now of course and I have my joysticks laid out in such a way to take advantage of some one player goodness. I've gotten pretty good at it now that there are no more quarters involved .

[Mayhem]

Exactly... IK+ = THE karate game of the 80s. Nigh on perfect (as you'd expect from Archer Maclean) and with the handy recent hack, you can have THREE human players take part

[Flack]

I opened this thread with the sole purpose of confirming that Karateka was on this list. That game was completely awesome - a true one-on-one fighting game before the genre even really existed. Tough, though, if I remember correctly. Very cinematic, dramatic, and a lot of fun to play.

Did you know that on the Apple II if you boot the back side of the disk, the entire game loads up UPSIDE DOWN? It doesn't work with the C64 version though -- on the back side of it is the (I believe) Atari version.

One of my first big gaming memories was getting to the end of Kareteka and then having the princess kick me in the nuts and kill me because I was still in the fighting stance.

Heh, yes I suspect all of our first encounters with the princess ended in the same manner.

I don't know exactly what your definition of a "karate" game is, but I would also have games like Renegade, Tiger Road, The Legend of Kage and Double Dragon on there...

Had I continued the list, Double Dragon would have made the top 10. Be sure to check out my MAMExpose article dedicated to the Double Dragon Series.

I was so just about to post this. I think this list needs to be Top 6, just so we can include IK+ and make it complete. The existing five are all excellent.

I think you, Ben and Mayhem are right -- I may have to add it to the list.

[chrisbid]

BTW, technically it's a kung fu game and not a karate game, but I think Kung Fu for the nes is a pretty good game too! Definitely worth noting.

Kung Fu on NES = Kung Fu Master Arcade


there were also versions on the Atari 2600 and 7800

[ewrann]

Glad to see Bruce Lee made the list. Loved that game on my C64.


E

[Apossum]

Nice list!

what's IK+? it looks like a sequel to Karate Champ or something.

btw, i'm sure most of you have heard of this, but check out http://www.virtualapple.com/

I got my Karateka fix a few days ago. it's a lot easier than I remembered, but I still died at the spikes

[Flack]

IK+ was the sequel to a game called International Karate, so really it stands for International Karate+. In IK+ there were 3 fighters on the screen at all times -- if you were playing by yourself the CPU controlled the other 2, if you and a friend were playing the CPU just controlled 1. The best two fighters go to the next round, while whoever's in last place goes to that big dojo in the sky.

[googlefest1]

i was almost sure Karate champ was not going to be #1

One day ill have that arcade in my game room


nice list !!! i dont know about bruce lee though - never played it i chould check to see if i have it in my pile of C64 stuff

[Cauterize]

What? No IK+?


Cheers,
Ben

I was so just about to post this. I think this list needs to be Top 6, just so we can include IK+ and make it complete. The existing five are all excellent.

Ill Third this! And im shocked to not see it there!
It deserves a place, just for the press 't' cheat/easter egg in there!
If youve played IK+ ull know what im on about

[Kid Ice]

I'll 4th the nomination for IK+, although I remember it as "World Karate Champion" or something like that, and you only fight one guy (at a time). That roundhouse kick was totally Mortal Kombat.

Nice call on Karateka...I'm not crazy about the fight mechanics, but it was way ahead of its time in graphics and storytelling.